Last Love Song On This Little Planet
by Charles Xavier
Summary: Imagine if Sora disappeared when you least expected it. Now imagine if she reappeared years later, horribly changed. Taiora/Sorato. Inspired by the anime/manga Saikano.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: God, has it really been FOUR years since I last wrote a Digimon fic? How time flies when you get older (sigh). Although I've labeled this as Taiora, it's actually both Taiora and Sorato (yes, a pairing I used loathe in the past…shoot me if you must).

If the title sounds any way familiar to you, then chances are you probably know what direction this story's going to take. Otherwise, you don't have to know. But be warned, things might get a little unpleasant in future chapters.

Just to avoid any confusion, this Prologue takes place during the first season. Read the story to learn more, though.

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. So please take the suing elsewhere.

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Last Love Song On This Little Planet

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By Charles Xavier

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Prologue

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"I still remember the gentleness of her smile, the sweetness in her voice, the colorlessness of her skin, and the ineffable fear that dwelled within her own two eyes. It was no question that she was afraid. I suppose we all have to be afraid sometimes, don't we? You just never know what you're capable of doing one day. What happened wasn't her fault. She didn't have a choice. Life doesn't always offer choices. But when it comes to those that matter, they're the only ones that you can make."

…

"I've found you!"

Sora Takenouchi had to be the best player at hide and seek amongst everyone else. Not even their Digimon were able to outsmart her. In three minutes flat, she uncovered Taichi and Yamato hiding together under a willow tree. How she was able to pinpoint their location in the meandering forest must have been out of pure luck, or just something beyond anybody's knowledge.

"Gee, Sora. You'll have to teach me how you keep finding us so well." said Taichi, scratching his head curiously.

"It's definitely got me." Yamato shrugged, pulling Taichi's hand to help him up.

"It's simple." Sora smiled, winking at them. "All I have to do is close my eyes and stand absolutely still. That way, I can always sense where you guys are."

Although it didn't make a whole lot of sense, Taichi and Yamato took her words and attempted to give it a quick shot. Taking a deep breathe and shutting their eyes, they stood as still as statues, hoping to get a better understanding to what Sora meant.

"It's not working." said Taichi impatiently.

"Sorry, Sora. But I don't see how this helps." Yamato wasn't getting anything either.

"You two are so funny!" Sora couldn't help hide her grins to see how spaced out the boys looked. "I wish I'd brought my camera to take a photo of this!"

The three went to relax by the calm lake, removing their shoes and socks to cool their aching feet in the chilling water. They sat back, letting the grass dance away with the guidance of the wind. Today had been long but playful. They could tell that tomorrow was going to be another hard day fighting new Digimon, bent on destroying the world like so many. It was tiresome, but every adventure led the Chosen Children to learning new things. Taichi and Yamato had learned to put their troublesome rivalry aside and become close friends. Sora had learned how much she loved Piyomon, and just how much love her mother held for her. As sunset befell upon the Digital World, Taichi pointed out at the stars, glittering in the oceanic sky on a full moon.

"Make a wish, Sora!" Taichi gave her a forceful nudge on the shoulder. "Who do you think you're destined to marry, me or Yamato?"

"Don't ask her that." Yamato told him off, delivering a silly slap on the head for his cheek.

In fact, Sora didn't make any wish…

"Say, you want to play one more round before we call it a day?" she said, hopping excitedly onto her feet, still with enough energy to last a few more hours. "This time, I'll hide!"

The boys couldn't agree more and nodded their heads.

…

"Ninety-eight…ninety-nine…one hundred! Ready or not, here we come!"

Like the speed of a starting gun, Taichi and Yamato raced into the forest to track down Sora. To make things more competitive and worthwhile, Sora promised to give a goodnight kiss to whoever found her first. But just as skilled as she was at finding people, no doubt that she was also a skilled hider.

Darkness fell quickly, and the boys had to resort to flashlights to resume their last game. Sora tried not to giggle in the bushes when she peeped at their feet striding past her.

"Where is she?" moaned Taichi, getting exhausted yet frustrated. "How could Sora hide from us for this long?"

"It's only been ten minutes." said Yamato, checking his watch. "It's getting kind of late. I'm sure we'll find her soon, or else we'll be here overnight."

Sora listened to their footsteps fading away as her eyes suddenly began to drop. She quietly crouched into a fetal position to rest…she could take as much time as she needed to be found….

…

An hour had passed since the game began, and Sora was fast asleep, still in her same hiding spot. Was it possible that the boys had left her, or perhaps gotten lost somewhere? None of that crossed her mind while she remained dreaming; she hoped one day to return safely home to her mother, waiting desperately for her. Now that was something she might have wished for…but just then, a strange shuffling was heard.

"I've found you!"

A hand lifted aside the blanket of thick leaves and Sora was forced to open her weary eyes. It was about time she headed back to regroup. Most likely her friends were worrying sick about her. Although it took her a while to note that it was neither Taichi nor Yamato who had actually discovered her. It was…

"YOU!" Sora gasped in shock before a pair of hands covered her mouth.

"GOTCHA!"

…

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"Taichi and Yamato spent the whole night scouring the forest. By the next morning, we soon realized that Sora was missing. Word spread out quickly. Some Digimon willingly volunteered to help us, while others who couldn't be well trusted were forcedly run down and questioned. Day after day, we tracked through every soil of land and sailed across every living sea to find any possible leads. But with all the stones unturned, we found nothing. No one had seen any trace of Sora. Then came the day we departed from the Digital World without her…a horrible decision we all had to make. For three agonizing years, Sora's loss still continued to haunt many who refused to believe she was dead…until one day…"


	2. Chapter 2

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Last Love Song On This Little Planet

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By Charles Xavier

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Chapter One

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"You look drained. What's the matter?"

Taichi had been staring at the ceiling for the entire lunch hour. Judging from his blue face, Yamato could tell what was troubling his old companion, since it was the only thing that he thought about for endless days.

"Let me guess. It's her, isn't it?" Yamato pulled up a chair and sat down, shaking his head in grief. "Has it been three years already? I guess time flies too quickly when we start to get older…yet so much else has changed too. I mean, look at us. You and me are officially high schoolers! Not long ago, we couldn't imagine that. We should be having the best time of our lives. But it just doesn't feel right to me without her. Who would have thought we'd have to leave her behind?"

"I know she's still out there, Yamato." said Taichi, staring out at the open window. "We shouldn't have left her out there alone."

"Listen, it's not only hard for you, but for me too…for all of us. But now that the gate to the Digital World's been reopened, we won't stop searching until she's found. You have my word on that." Yamato wanted to say more, but he suddenly felt his phone rumble inside his jacket. He took it out to see his new text message. "That reminds me…Mimi e-mailed me from New York yesterday, saying she was flying back here for a week. She just arrived at the airport."

Ever since Mimi left for the US, she had been constantly sending Yamato e-mails to ask anything about their missing friend. It was no surprise, as she knew her the most than Taichi and Yamato put together. It was a bad feeling having to move on in life without Sora. None of their classmates would understand any of it, or believe it as a matter of fact. With summer break drawing close, they were far too excited about leaving school and enjoying their well deserved freedom. Some were planning to head down to the beaches of Okinawa, others were heading out to the countryside to visit relatives, whilst those not so adventurous wished to sit idly at home for the next month or so. The saddest part was that Sora was missing out on all of it. She would have loved listening to Yamato perform in summer concerts filled with a tsunami of fans cheering his name. She would have enjoyed watching Taichi score another goal in a soccer match for the love of his team.

Nothing was the same without her. Sora was a missing piece in the boys' picture that had to be found desperately. The anxiety could kill, no thanks to the humid weather…not to mention those damn crickets.

Just then, the classroom teacher stepped inside and students returned to their desks to tidy up. The next lesson was about to begin.

"Good afternoon, sensei."

"Good afternoon class. Now then, if you remember we…"

A massive explosion erupted and the floor shook violently from the immediate shock wave. Students ran under their desks for dear life. Another explosion…this time stronger. Windows shattered with a rain of shards flooding the classroom. Then came a brief moment of dead silence. The teacher picked up his broken glasses with trembling hands and monitored the classroom to ensure the students' safety. But their attention was drawn outside, where there were clouds of dense blackening smoke, rising out from the distance .

A chorus of screams echoed and panic struck within the school building. The corridor became packed with distressed students scrambling everywhere. The staff tried to maintain calm, but to not much avail. Who knew if the school would be the next target to be blown to Kingdom Come? Was this a possible terrorist attack?

Taichi and Yamato ran into Koushiro in the computer room, wondering if he had any knowledge about this terrifying occurrence.

"What the hell's going on?" shouted Yamato.

"I'm glad you're both safe!" replied Koushiro, punching away on his laptop. "I'm can't really say for sure, but this could be the work of that Digimon Kaiser we've been hearing about!"

"We can't wait here! I'm heading up to the rooftop to check it out!" Taichi raced to the stairs before Yamato could stop him.

Kicking the door open, Taichi ran outside to be greeted with a heavy snow of ash. Looking out towards the view, he was devastated to find Tokyo with several of its metropolitan buildings left in ruins. Deafening sirens echoed throughout the crowded streets and he felt a sudden chill down his spine. No, it wasn't because of the chaotic state the city was left in. In fact, it was the disturbing high pitched sound ringing in his ears…almost like that of a giant mosquito.

Taichi rolled his eyes up to the stormy sky to catch a bright glimmer of something gliding within the rain clouds. A shooting star? A nuclear missile? Not by a chance. What ever was up there detected his presence on the school roof and shifted its direction. Taichi watched in amazement as it gently descended down upon him with its blinding light. This was no illusion. It was a fallen angel, appearing before him in its shredded stained gown. A few feathers shed from its mechanical wings that hideously stretched far from its back like the distorted roots of a dying tree. It was an unsettling feeling. Taichi staggered, falling back as the ash and smoke cleared to reveal the angel's face.

It made him tremble.

"No, it can't be you…" Taichi gasped under his breath.

The angel looked down upon the frightened boy. It looked at him emotionlessly like a homeless stranger begging for money on the street. There sensed a great feeling of emptiness within its unnatural pair of violet eyes, making it look like it was cast under some malicious spell. It was if it had lost its ability to distinguish good and evil, friend or foe. Taichi was breathless by what he saw on its right arm. In fact, it didn't really have one. What used to be its right arm was replaced with a giant missile launcher, which looked like it had been recently fired. There was no blood…not a piece of exposed flesh, but pure metallic wires that connected into its torn colorless skin. The image was so haunting for Taichi to stomach that he sat motionless.

The angel detected its human target and raised its arm. Its launcher transformed into a fully loaded gattling gun. Taichi jumped to his feet and ran for his life when he saw the gun's barrel rolling. A second later, bullets were bursting out on the rooftop. The sound of gunfire caught Yamato's ears and he left no hesitation to hurry upstairs to investigate.

Taichi frantically avoided the flying bullets that scratched his school uniform. The angel's aiming was precise and he had to move quicker if he wished to stay alive in one piece. Thank God for soccer practice…but his eyes were not fast enough to evade the last bullet that scraped his shoulder. A sharp pain seethed in and Taichi gripped his wound. There was an unpleasant stain on his jacket with blood covered over his fingers. He lost his pace, leaving himself vulnerable like a sitting duck. The angel reloaded its gun and fixed its aim, ready to commence firing at its own will. That was until a door burst open.

"Taichi, what's…" Yamato's words stopped dead when he came face to face with a pair of mechanical wings. The angel turned around to show itself. Yamato felt his adrenaline kick in and froze in terror, crying out: "Sora?"

That voice…that name…she had heard them once before. Sora's eyes twitched as she paused with uncertainty. She wanted to pull the trigger but she chose not to. A warm breath escaped from her lungs and her eyes gradually reverted back into her natural crimson color that only Taichi and Yamato remembered.

In a soft but tender voice, she muttered: "Yamato." and turned to her other panting friend. "Taichi." Her tears of guilt became visible as she eased control of her gun with an excruciating look in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

The pain was overly exhausting for her and she started to lose consciousness. Without another word, she passed out and collapsed to the floor. At last, Sora was found.


	3. Chapter 3

**__**

Last Love Song On This Little Planet

**__**

By Charles Xavier

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Chapter Two

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"How did it ever come to this?" Mimi sat down on the couch unsettlingly. "Lilymon flew high and low past every cloud looking for Sora, and I was her with her every day. I never thought things would turn out like this."

Not even the new Chosen Children found it credible. Their frail and fragile friend they had been searching for too long had come to an unexpected end. How ironic it was for Sora to find THEM instead, in the flesh…that is, if she still had any. She simply had no appetite whatsoever. For her, it was an unnatural habit. She completely declined touching Mimi's homemade noodle soup she had prepared for her in bed. She had lost her every sense to eat or drink altogether. She was a zombie who hardly spoke and if ever, in very few words. She wouldn't talk about where she had been during her absence, maybe because she was too scared to say a word about it...

Miyako couldn't imagine why such a beautiful and elegant young girl had to endure so much hardship. What Taichi and Yamato saw earlier today was far beyond logical to understand. It was even more so for Koushiro, who was baffled and powerless to find the right words to describe Sora's condition. There was one thing for sure though, it was disheartening.

"Boy, this is heavy on the head." said Daisuke, scratching his skull. "And I thought the Digimon Kaiser was such a big deal."

"How's she doing in there?" Taichi asked Hikari as she stepped out of her bedroom.

Hikari sighed and shook her head mournfully, carrying in her hands Sora's untouched bowl of soup. "She still isn't eating. I don't understand what could have happened to her. She's won't talk to me, she stares at me like somebody she doesn't know, she's not herself anymore." A few teardrops landed in the soup as she tried to hide her face. It was obvious to see how grieved she was to find her own friend turned into some heartless machine. "I'm sorry, Taichi."

"Don't cry, Hikari." Taichi went to give her a comforting brotherly hug, even if it didn't seem to ease her concerns. "We'll get to the bottom of this and Sora will be all right…hopefully."

"Hikari," said Miyako in a calm voice. "I know this sounds kind of crazy, but maybe I could talk to her. Is it okay if I spent a little while with Sora? I promise I won't be too long."

Everyone's eyes pointed at her in shock. Nobody saw that coming. Hikari tilted her head to the wall in thought. She didn't see any reason why not. Miyako was a generous girl and never meant to cause trouble. She was always on the lookout for Daisuke and Iori whenever they got stuck in any complicated situations. Although she was rather impulsive at times and occasionally stubborn, she was undoubtedly sincere in heart. Perhaps she could help Sora somehow.

"Sure." was Hikari's reply. She quietly turned the knob and carefully nudged the door open. "Please keep your voice down though. She's still resting."

Miyako nodded, stepping inside Hikari's half lit bedroom. Sora was sitting in bed fully awake, gazing outside through the curtained windows. It was best to keep her indoors and away from the public view. Nobody must know that the girl responsible for wreaking havoc in Tokyo and causing dozens of casualties was staying in Taichi's apartment. She was pale blue like a ghost in a painting, risen from her untimely death to spend the rest of her life in eternal sorrow. There was nothing across her face to indicate much sign of emotion, but Miyako sensed hidden in her eyes that she was afraid of something. Clearing her throat, she softly approached her and introduced herself.

"Hi, nice to meet you. My name's Miyako. We haven't met before, but I'm a good friend of Mimi Tachikawa. She's told me a lot about you."

"Mimi…" Sora's murmured.

"I've always wanted to meet you. You sounded like such an interesting friend, venturing out with Taichi and the whole gang with your Crest of Love, battling all kinds of evil Digimon doers left and right! I would have loved to see all that again!" Miyako was now sounding like a fan girl, but she didn't want to push this too far. She had to talk seriously if she needed her attention. "But I never thought how shocked I'd be finding you like this." The room was so freezing with the air conditioning that it clouded Miyako's glasses. She was forced to remove them and give them a wipe. "I don't know what it was that happened. I know you might be scared to even talk about it, but you know what? Even though I've hardly met you, I suddenly feel like you're already as close to me as Mimi. You can say I'm nuts if you want, but I get that a few times. I care about you as much as her, as much as everyone else. Takeru and Hikari have told me stories of how you used to look after them in the Digital World like they were your own kids. But now, it seems you've come back to us as someone different…and I don't mean that for the right reasons. This difference isn't like you at all."

Sora looked at Miyako blankly like an alien who couldn't understand the language she spoke. It made Miyako slightly disturbed with her robotic stare. She sat down on the bed, locking her hands together with hers to feel her icy fingers.

"There, do you feel that?" said Miyako, pressing into her solid fingers. "Do you feel the warmth in my hands?"

Sora was unmoved and she coldly answered: "No. I don't feel anything."

Miyako couldn't even feel her pulse or heartbeat. Now she knew how upset Hikari and Mimi were. Like them, it made her want to cry. She never realized how much a close friend like Sora could radically change. She couldn't imagine what ever power could have transformed her into this hapless mechanism of mass destruction. It was a nightmare she wanted to pinch herself out of. The pain was eating her alive, just as much as Sora's humanity seemed to be deteriorating, little by little. It was like a slow death.

The door creaked open behind Miyako. Yamato leaned against the door, checking how Sora was doing.

"How is she?" he asked. Miyako could only shake her head with regret. She didn't want to admit it, but there was very little progress. Sora wasn't saying anything much.

"Have you ever touched her?" she said as a tear ran down her cheek. "I've never felt anyone's hands so cold before. It's like she's not…human."

"Yamato…" said Sora. "…I'm sorry."

"No need for your apologies." said Yamato, placing his hands around Sora's cheeks. Miyako wasn't kidding. It was like touching a frozen iceberg. This wasn't normal at all. "Sora, I know how painful this must be. We want to help you. But we're not going to get anywhere unless you tell us what happened. Please, Sora…who did this to you?"

The unspeakable fear within Sora's eyes returned. She bit her lips as countless agonizing visions from her past crossed her mind in a single second. She knew the answer but could not dare say the name. She tried to remain mute. But that warming look in Yamato's face assured her that she had nothing to be afraid of. And so, in one tiny whisper that only a mouse could hear, she told him.


End file.
